Dwi Andayani, Jakarta – The country’s peak Islamic body the Indonesia Ulama Council (MUI) has declared that taking a position of golput – to abstain from voting – in the elections is haram (forbidden under the Islamic law). The General Election Commission says that it appreciates the fatwa (edict) on golput issued in 2014 by the MUI.
“Yes well that’s the MUI’s authority, we respect it. We appreciate it if [voter] participation is high”, said KPU Commissioner Viryan Aziz when contacted on Tuesday March 26.
Aziz said that that using the right to vote in elections is important and warned people that if they do not use their right to vote they will regret it later.
“It’s important for the public to use their right to vote, don’t end up regretting it after the elections are over because you didn’t use your right to vote”, said Aziz.
According to Aziz, golput is a political waste because the state has already facilitated citizen’s right to use their vote in the elections.
“For me, if the public doesn’t use [its right to vote] it’s a political waste. It’s already been facilitated by the state, right, people have been registered, voter invitation letters prepared, organisers provided, but then not to use it, a political waste right”, he said.
Earlier the MUI asserted that a position of golput in the elections is haram and that it is obligatory for people to vote for a leader so there are no grounds to take a stand of golput.
“Voting for representative (in the elections) who meet the criteria, it’s a legal obligation. Voting is a legal obligation, golput is legally haram”, Yogyakarta MUI General Secretary KRT H Ahmad Muhsin Kamaludiningrat told Detik.com on Tuesday March 26.
The fatwa declaring golput is haram came out of the Assembly of Islamic Scholars (ijtimak ulama) in Padang Panjang City in West Sumatra in 2014. The fatwa has been declared to still be in force.
In addition to this, the MUI says that the state needs a leader so each individual is obliged to vote as long as there are good leaders.
“In principal, voting is a right. But in the context of the life of the nation and the state, there must be a leader, because voting for a leader for individual Muslims, that’s a legal obligation. If you don’t vote, yet there are good leaders, that’s legally haram”, said MUI Fatwa Commission Secretary Asrorun Niam at the MUI offices on Jl Proklamasi in Central Jakarta on Tuesday. (dwia/knv)
[Translated by James Balowski. The original title of the article was “ MUI Haramkan Golput, KPU: Tak Memilih Itu Mubazir Politik”.]
Notes
Golput – Golongan Putih, White Group. The term first emerged as a campaign by students in the 1971 elections and derives its name from marking the white section of the ballot paper rather than a party symbol or candidate’s picture thereby making the vote invalid. In recent years the term has broadened to include not just intentionally casting an invalid vote but also vote abstention.
Source: https://news.detik.com/berita/d-4484740/mui-haramkan-golput-kpu-tak-memilih-itu-mubazir-politik
